Car seat



A. L. LAMBERT.

CAR SEAT.

APPLICATION FILED IIIAII. I8, 1921..

Patented Apr. 4, 1922.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

A. L. LAMBERT.

CAR SEAT.

APPLICATION FIL ED MAR. I8. 1921.

1,411,791. Patented Apr. 4, 1922.

lll

UNITED, STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ALBERT LAMBERT, O13 NARBE BTH, .PENNSYLVANIA. ASSIGNOR TO AMERICAN MOTOR BODY COMPANY, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, A CORPORATION or nnmiwumn.

T 0 aZZ @072 am it may concern.

Be it known that I, AL ERT L. LAMBERT, a citizen of the United States, residing at Narberth, in the county of Montgomery and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Car Seats, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relatesto railway car seats of the reversible-back type and particularly to seats provided with mechanism whereby upon the shifting of the back from one side of the seat to the other the seat portion is moved in a reverse direction and tilted upward slightly so as to provide a comfortable seating arrangement for the occupant.

One of the objects of my invention is to provide a mechanism for reversing the seat as above described, the mechanism being located beneath the seat, in exceedingly compact form. A further object of this invention is to provide a novel type of rocker operating mechanism which results in various advantages which will be pointed out hereinafter.

A further object of my invention is to provide means whereby the force applied at one end of'the back to effect the reversal of the back and cushion is positively transferred. to the opposite sides of the back and cushionto effect identical movement of both sides of the back and cushion simultaneously.

Other objects will be in part obvious and in part pointed out hereinafter.

In the accompanying drawings wherein is illustrated 'one possible embodiment of my invention, Fig. 1 is a vertical section of a seat embodying my invention taken on line 1-1 of Fig.3, showing an end plate and the seat'mechanism; Fig. 2 is a sectional view of the seat in intermediate position showing the wall plate. and the seat mechanism; Fig. 3 is a section through the connection between the seat standard, the end plate andthe rocker, and shows the mechanism for moving both sides of the back and seat-cushion in unison; Fig. 4 is an enlarged detailLof certain parts of the seat-operating mechanism and Fig. 5 is a vertical section taken on line 5-5 of Fig.

Similar reference characters designate similar parts throughout the several views of the drawings.

Referring to the drawings, reference char- Specification of Letters Patent.

CAR SEAT.

Patented Apr. 4:, 1922.

Application filed March 18, 1921. Serial No. 45 3,48. I

acter 1 represents an aisle pedestal for a seat. 2 a pair of cross members, 3 aisle and wall end plates, 4: a cushion carried by two rockers on cross members 2, 6 a back having end standards 7- carrying at their. lower ends rollers 8, 8 supported and. guided in channel tracks 9. one on each end plate 3, and 10. represents a'rocker' rod. All the above elementsof a reversible car seat are believed to be well known in the art. In addition thereto there are usually present means for automatically shifting the seat cushion when the back is reversed and also means for insuring identical and simultaneous movement of both ends of the back and of both ends of the seat in respose to revels ing pressure exerted upon one end of the back. ,It 'is to these two last mentioned means that my invention is particularly directed, and these means will now be particularly described.

In accordance. with my invention, I provide a lazy-tongs 12, and fiXedly pivot the same intermediate its ends. 13 and 14, respectively, centrally on the seat end 3 as at 15. At the lower'end of. back-supporting standard 7, and below the upper surface of seat cushion 1, I provide a. pivot pin and pivot theend 18 of the lazy-tongsthereon. I pivot the other end lt of the lazy-tongs to rocker-rod 10 near one end thereof. As the back is moved from an extreme position towards intermediate position. the lazytongs will collapse progressively, and thereafter the lazy-tongs will become progressively extended until the other extreme position is reached. During this movement the lazytongs will also rotate about pivot point 15 and since the lazy-tongs are fastened to rocker-rod 10 as at 14, rocker-rod 10, rockers 5, and seat cushion 4:, will be moved in. a reverse direction to back 6, and the desired movement of the seat cushion is effected automatically upon the reciprocation of the back and simultaneously therewith. At the same time, on account of the collapsing feature of the lazy-tongs the vertical component between pivot point 13 and pivot point 14 is maintained substantially constant at all times and all the mechanism may be confined in an exceedingly small space and in compact form. With this mechanism con siderable space under the seat is freed from 7 seat mechanism and may be utilized for the storage of grips, packages or the like, or.

for the installation of heating units well above the floor, and at the same time no part of the mechanism extends above the seat cushion, where it would be apt to catch into a passen ers clothing or would occupy space desired for the accommodation of the occupant of the seat. It is believed that the employment of a lazy-tongs 1n the combr nation and for the purpose above described is broadly new.

It is preferable, but not essential, to have the seat-mechanism at both ends of. the seat identical, with a lazy-tongs mounted on each end, as above described. With such a construction a positive power transmission device may readily be provided for effecting identical and simultaneous movement between both ends of the back and between both ends of the seat cushion in response to seat IBVGISlIl" pressure applied to one end of the back. uch a device may comprise a shaft 16 extending longitudinally beneath the seatcushion 4, with 1ts end r0- tatably supported on the end plates 3, and corresponding links 18 of the two lazytongs rigidly and centrally attached to shaft 16 adjacent its ends, respectively, so that shaft 16 will constitute the point of fixed pivot 15 for each lazy-tongs and the rotation of one link 18, as occasioned by reversing movement of back 6, will cause rotation of shaft 16 and a rotation thereby of the link 18 of the other lazy-tongs in a manner identical and simultaneous with the rotation of said first link. It is to be noted. that another link 20 of each lazy-tongs also.

rotates about point 15, and these two links 20 may be ri idly connected to theends, respectively of a sleeve 19, as by means oi annular rings '21 having flanges welded respectively to sleeve 19 and to links 20, sleeve 19 being mounted for tree rotation about shaft 16, and adapted to maintain identical and simultaneous movement between links 20 during reversing movement of the seat.

Thus it is apparent that when one side of the back is moved to effect a reversal of the seat, as'by the application of pressure to that side, the force so applied will be transmitted through shaft 16 and sleeve 19 to the lazy-tongs at the opposite side of the seat, and through theselazy-tongs to the backsupporting standard 7 and also to the rocker rod 10, rockers 5, and the opposite side of the seat cushion 4, all on that side of the seatwhich is opposite to the side to which the pressure is supplied, and both ends of the back and both ends of the seat cushion will be caused tomove in unison.

It is to be understood that either shaft 16b1- sleeve 191may be used without the other, and also "that many other modifications may be made in the construction above described without departing from the scope of this invention} What I claim is:

1. In a reversible car seat, the combination with a seat-cushion, a rocker support ing said seat-cushion, back-supporting standards movable past said seat-cushion, and an end plate, of a collapsible device pivotally supported 011 said end plate and pivotally connected to said back-supporting standard and to said rocker on opposite sides of its said point of pivotal support, and adapted'upon reciprocation of said back-supporting standard to :efi'ect reverse movement of said seat-cushion, and to maintain the vertical component between said standard and said rocker substantially constant at all times. r

52. In a reversible car seat, the combination with a rocker supporting a seat-cushion, a back-supporting standard movable past said seat-cushion, and an end plate, of means for reciprocating said cushion in response to reciprocation of said back,said means comprising a lazy-tongs pivotally supported at one point onsaid end plate, pivotally connected at another pointto said standard and pivotally connected at a third point to said rocker.

3. In a reversible car seat, the combination with a rocker supporting a seat-cushion, a back-supporting standard movable past said cushiomand an end plate, of means for moving said seat-cushion, in response to movement of said standard andvin a reverse direction thereto, said means compris-iinp, a lazy-tongs pivotally supported intermediate its ends on said end plate and pivotally connected to said standard and to said rocker on opposite sides of said point of pivotal support. V p 4. In a reversible car seat, the combination with a rocker supporting a seat-cushion, a rocker rod, a back-supporting standard movable past said cushion, a pivot pin on said standard, below the upper surface of said cushion, and an end plate, of means for moving said seat-cushion in response to reciprocation of said back and for maintainin the vertical component between said pivot pin and said rocker rod substantially constant at all times during said movements, said means comprising a lazy-tongs pivotally supported on said end plate, and pivotally conlnected to said pivot pinand to said rocker roc. i

In a car seat,:the combination with cross-rails, a support therefor, an-end plate,

a seat-cushion, a rocker supporting the same pivoted intermediate its "ends to said end plate, said chain being pivotally connected to the pivot pin of said standard, and to said rocker shaft at opposite sides of said fixed pivot, whereby said chain becomes extended and collapsed according to predetermined movement of said back and the vertical component between said pivot pin and said rocker shaft is maintained substantially constant for all positions of said back and seatcushion.

6. In a car seat, in combination, a movable back, two lazy-tongs, connected respectively to opposite sides of said back to permit movement thereof, and means including a rotat able shaft extending between said two lazytongs and attached to corresponding links thereof for effecting simultaneous and similar movement of both sides of said back.

7. In a car seat, in combination, a movable seat-cushion, mechanism at each side of said seat-cushion for moving the same, said mechanism including two lazy-tongs at opposite sides of said seat cushion, and means including a rotatable shaft extending between said two lazy-tongs and attached to corresponding links thereof for effecting simultaneous and similar movement of both sides of said seat-cushion.

8. In a car seat, in combination, a movable back, a movable seat-cushion, mecha nism including two lazy-tongs, one at each side of said'sea't, for moving said seatcushion in response to movement of said back, and means including a rotatable shaft extending between said two lazy-tongs and attached to corresponding links thereof for effecting simultaneous and similar movement of both sides of said back and also simultaneous and similar movement of both sides of said seat-cushion.

S). In a car seat the combination with a moveable back and two lazy-tongs connected respectively to opposite sides of said back to permit movement thereof, of a rotatable shaft extending between said two lazy-tongs and attached to corresponding links thereof and a second rotatable member extending between said two lazy-tongs and attached to two other corresponding links thereof, whereby both ends of said back are caused to move in unison.

10. In a car seat the combination with a movable back, a movable seat-cushion and mechanism comprising two lazy-tongs, one at each side of said seat, for permitting movement of said back and for moving said seat-cushion in response to movement of said back, of a rotatable shaft extending longitudinally beneath the seat-cushion from one end of the seat to the other, a link of one of said lazy-tongs mounted on said shaft to rotate therewith and a corresponding link of the other lazy-tongs mounted on said shaft to rotate therewith, and in unison with said first link, whereby both ends of said back and both ends of said seat-cushion are caused to move in unison.

11. In a car seat the combination with a movable back, a movable seat-cushion, a pair of end plates one at each end of said seat, a seat mechanism for permitting movement of said back and for moving said seatcushion in response to movement of said back, said mechanism comprising two lazytongs, one at each end of the seat, of a shaft extending longitudinally beneath the seatcushion with its ends rotatably supported on said end plates, a link of one of said lazy-tongs mounted on said shaft for rota tion therewith, a corresponding link of the other lazy tongs mounted on said shaft for rotation therewith and in unison with said first link, a sleeve mounted for rotation about said shaft and extending from one end of the seat to the other, a second link of said first mentioned lazy-tongs rotatably attached to said sleeve for rotation therewith and a second and corresponding link of said other lazy-tongs attached to said sleeve at the other end of said seat for rotation therewith and in unison with said ALBERT L. LAMBERT.

lVitnesses WILLIAM J. EARNSHAW,

R. M. FRIES. 

